Salvadorans protest in Washington

A young girl looks on as other immigrants and activists protest near the White House to demand that the Department of Homeland Security extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 195,000 Salvadorans on Jan. 8, 2018 in Washington. (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

Salvadorans protest termination of temporary protected status

The Trump administration’s decision to end special protections for about 200,0000 Salvadoran immigrants raises the possibility they will be forced to abandon their roots in the U.S. and return to a violent homeland they have not known for years, even decades.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen gave Salvadorans with temporary protected status until Sept. 9, 2019, to leave the United States or face deportation. El Salvador becomes the fourth country since President Donald Trump took office to lose protection under the program, which provides humanitarian relief for people whose countries are hit with natural disasters or other strife.

The decision, while not surprising, is a severe blow to Salvadorans in New York, Houston, San Francisco and other major cities that have welcomed them since at least the 1980s. (AP)